OzzieMandias

People are pleased when one of our players seems to improve. They express the honest hope that it will continue this way. What's wrong with that?

It wasn't "debt free in x years"; it was "break even in x years".

I might think of a Newcastle fan from elsewhere in the world as a "Mag", but not as a Geordie. Being a Geordie is a geographic and cultural thing, it's about being born and/or brought up in Newcastle, the city shaping your identity. You can be a Geordie and not give a damn about football. You can be a Mag and come from London. But you can no more be a Geordie from London than you can be a Mag and hate football.

Hmm. I'm sure I've talked about all of these games before, but the ones that stick with me are... The 4–0 against Ferencváros, a club I hate after having lived in Budapest and been to a fair few of their matches, including one where the whole crowd made monkey noises at an Anderlecht team with about six black players. So I was well happy to see us running rings around them. And that wonderful Ginola goal, contender for the best I ever saw. The 6–1 against Spurs just before Christmas 1999. It was like a pantomime. This time Daveed played the villain, scoring their only goal. His every move was robustly jeered. Just before half-time he went over on his arse, referee waved play on, Ginola sat there complaining. Eventually the ref ordered him to get up and get on with it. A few minutes later it was half-time, and while the other players all disappeared down the tunnel, Daveed went over to the centre circle for more useless remonstration with the ref. Duly ignored, he then had to walk all the way off the pitch by himself -- with 35,000 cheerfully booing themselves hoarse. The memory still makes me chuckle. The 3–4 defeat by Man City in 1968, the end of the first season I ever went to SJP. The past is another stadium. The Leazes was a tin shed, the Popular Side was overlooked by a couple of trees with kids hanging in them perilously to watch for free, and pre-teen Ozzie and a few small friends were down at the bottom of the Gallowgate terraces, singing their little hearts out. We kept it up for what seemed like ages, but eventually ran out of songs, or breath, or both. There was a pause. Then the whole Leazes End started singing, "They've all gone quiet over there!" It took me a second to realize they were singing about US. It was funny, and it was scary, and it was kind of an honour. I can't remember much about the play, but I clearly recall my emotions afterwards -- not minding too much that we'd just been beaten, because I knew I'd seen an incredible game. But part of me feeling kind of traitorous for enjoying a game that we'd lost. A conundrum for young Ozzie, learning that football was a little more complex than he'd realized. It was a classic of its day, though -- much like the later 4-3 defeats by Liverpool.

They probably really bigged it up to get him there. "You really should come to this one, sir. They're our deadliest rivals. In the past they were always the better team, but due to your munificence we have improved so much we shall surely thrash them. It's a great PR opportunity, sir. You can bask in the glory and adulation of the fans, and reflect on how well your money has been spent..."

Apart from injuries (squad not deep enough), it depends on how well we can move beyond recent inconsistency. On a good day, this lot seem capable of great things. But it's not always a good day.

The arguments against Nolan earlier in the season were a) he doesn't contribute anything but goals and b) those goals are going to dry up in the Premier League. His performance today was a powerful riposte to both of them.

Feels good to have a two-Geordie attack.

Sell the twat!

Probably his mam for giving birth to him in Sunderland catchment area.

IF... there's any truth in that... The club are already on record saying they will only appoint from within. Maybe they aren't holding rigidly to that line but it was a daft thing to say in that case. I remember them talking in general terms about appointing from within. I don't remember them saying they would ONLY do that. The actual statement was 'The Board will concentrate on Newcastle United's stability by promoting from within where possible.'. Thought so. Thanks.

IF... there's any truth in that... The club are already on record saying they will only appoint from within. Maybe they aren't holding rigidly to that line but it was a daft thing to say in that case. I remember them talking in general terms about appointing from within. I don't remember them saying they would ONLY do that.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/31/black-football-managers Can it be a coincidence that both teams play in black and white stripes?

Yes, he gets a lot of work around Christmas time. (Sorry.)

The plot thickens: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/26/paul-octopus-dead-psychic-world

So what are these 6,000 "idiots" supposed to do? Stop going to games because their club signed an expensive player?

I dunno. Sid the Sexist came later, but maybe.

Not very good copy here: Howay ye bugger everybody get doon, it's Friday neet and we're gannin' te the Toon.

If anyone's got an mp3 of David Baird's 1980 (or '81) Geordie rap record, "Friday Neet (And We're Gannin' to the Toon)", I would be extremely grateful to get a copy.

Maybe he DID see it coming. What's he going to do?

I just renegotiated my deal where I work. Naturally I pointed out how much it would cost to replace me if I had to look elsewhere to get the money I wanted.

Aw. He'll be up there now comparing notes with Nostradamus.

It feels to me like I can hold my head up a little bit better than was possible in the last few years. We haven't got a great side (though they're not that bad either) but there's something, well... honest about it all at the moment. I like the manager and most of the players. It's no longer a bunch of under-performing mercenaries and I feel proud of the team in way I haven't since the days of Sir Bobby.

"We're the pride of the land"?

Needs an ellipsis: "This group of lads..."